That NFL inferno did it again Sunday, blowing yet another opponent off the field. The Pats extended their streak of season-opening wins by 17 or more points to eight with a 52-7 romp against a Redskins team that began the day with a more-than-respectable record of 4-2.

Halfway through the season, the Patriots are outscoring opponents by an average of 41.4-15.9 per game.

Yes, their average margin of victory is 25.5 points.

“It will take a lot to stop them,” Gibbs observed amidst the carnage that was the Redskins’ postgame locker room.

Goodness knows, the Redskins didn’t have it.

At day’s end, the Patriots had amassed 486 yards in total offense, totaled a franchise-record 34 first downs and controlled the ball for 37:49 of the game’s 60 minutes.

“It was a fun one,” Patriots fullback Heath Evans said. “It was just another Patriot team win.”

Where to begin?

Put it this way: Tom Brady extended his NFL record for consecutive games to start a season with three or more touchdown passes to eight. He rushed for two TDs in a game for the first time in his career (heck, he’d never rushed for two in a season) – and he arguably wasn’t the star.

That distinction may have belonged to full-time linebacker and part-time tight end Mike Vrabel, who made a team-leading 13 tackles, recorded three sacks of Jason Campbell for 20 yards and forced three fumbles on defense. He made it a perfect 10-for-10 in his offensive career when he made his 10th reception – all for TDs.

“Looking across there,” said Gibbs, “I don’t know of a weakness they have.”

And when they sense a weakness in an opponent, they exploit it.

Once again, the tone was set at the outset. The Patriots scored on their opening possession for the eighth straight time this season when Brady capped a 14-play, 90-yard drive by scrambling in from the 3.

“I think it’s something that, when we come out of the locker room before the game, it’s just something that we’ve got to be able to start fast and get the team going,” said running back Kevin Faulk, who caught seven passes for 57 yards and carried five times for another 32.

By the time the Redskins scored, the Patriots had put 45 more on the board, building themselves a 52-0 lead that still wasn’t enough to satisfy some.

“You can’t ever be satisfied. You know what I’m saying?” asked cornerback Asante Samuel, who intercepted the 20th pass of his Patriots’ career.

“Unless (there’s) zero points, zero yards … You’re never satisfied, but, you know, we played a pretty good game.

“At the end on defense, we gave up the seven points. We’re disappointed from that end. We’ve just got to go out and see what happened on that drive and try to work on that.”

If there is anything the Patriots might need to work on, it would be their football etiquette – if such a thing does, in fact, exist.

Up 38 points in the fourth quarter, the Patriots went for a fourth-and-one at the Redskins’ 7, converting when Brady gained 2 yards on a sneak, setting up his third TD pass of the game (and 30th of the season), a 2-yard toss to wide receiver Wes Welker.

Up 45, with Matt Cassel on in relief later in the quarter, they converted a fourth-and-2 at the Washington 37, a 21-yard completion to wideout Jabar Gaffney leading to a 15-yard scramble by the backup QB for a TD that pushed the difference to 52.

“Just out there playing,” said Belichick. “Just out there playing.”

Presumably, this coming Sunday in Indianapolis, the 2007 team will experience something new when they play the 7-0 Colts.

Competition.

Halfway through the regular season, they haven’t seen it yet.

Enterprise staff writer Glen Farley can be reached at gfarley@enterprisenews.com.

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